Snow disposal apparatus



Oct. 11, 1966 Y J. GONTCHARUK 3,277,885

SNOW DISPOSAL APPARATUS Filed June 24, 1965 "Hill-I] United States Patent 3,277,885 SNOW DISPOSAL APPARATUS .loseph Gontcharuk, 1664 Norman St, New York, N.Y. Filed June 24, 1965, Ser. No. 466,565 1i) Claims. (Cl. 126-3435) The present invention relates to snow disposal apparatus and, more particularly, to apparatus for disposing of snow by melting, and is particularly suitable for use in the disposal of snow removed from streets, roads, and other traffic areas by melting the removed snow and disposing of the resulting water at the point of removal, to thereby eliminate the need of carting the removed snow for disposal at distant points.

It is an object of the present invention to prov de snow disposal apparatus, of the character described, which comprises a fully and completely self-contained unit.

It is also an object of the present invention to prov de snow disposal apparatus, of the character described, which may be mounted as a unit on a mobile support for ready and easy movement from place to place.

It is another object of the present invention to prov de snow disposal apparatus, of the character described, which is of relatively simple construction, or relatively light weight, and compact, so that it is economical to produce, and convenient to use and to store. 7 v

It is still another object of the present invention to provide snow disposal apparatus, of the character described, which brings the snow into shifting intimate contact With the source of heat for melting it, to thereby melt the snow at a rapid rate and with maximum efficiency in the use of heating fuel.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide snow disposal apparatus, of the character described, which provides easy access to removal of foreign solids and for maintenance and repair.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the snow removal apparatus of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawings and from the description following. It is to be understood, however, that such embodiment is shown by way of illustration only to make the principle and practice of the invention more readily comprehensible and without intent of limiting the invention to the specific details therein shown.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of one embodiment of the snow melting apparatus of the invention; partly broken away and in section to clarify details of construction;

FIG. 2 is a section taken on line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

Referring, now, in greater detail to the embodiment of the invention more or less diagrammatically illustrated in the drawings, the same is shown to comprise a platform which may preferably, though not necessarily, be mounted on wheels 12 for mobility. The platform 12 may thus comprise the floor of a motor vehicle body or of a trailer which is attachable to a motor vehicle.

A tank 14, which may preferably be cylindrical, and is closed at one end, as by wall 16, and is provided at its other end with an inwardly extending flange 18 defining an opening 20, of lesser diameter than the tank 14, is mounted and supported on the platform 10 in elevated relation thereto, at least at its open end, for rotation about its horizontally disposed longitudinal axis.

Various means may be provided for rotatably supporting the tank 14 in its elevated position over the platform 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the tank is supported, at its closed end, by an outwardly extending, normally axially disposed shaft 22 mounted on the tank closure wall 16. The shaft 22 may be journalled in a suitable bearing provided in the standard 24 mounted on the platform 10 and projecting therefrom. The other end of the tank 14 is shown as supported for rotation on rollers 26 supported in elevated position above the platform 10, on each side of the tank 14, between upright lugs 28, mounted on the platform 10. Preferably, a circumferential rib 3% is provided on the exterior of the tank 14 to bear against the rollers.

The projecting end of the shaft 22 may be provided with means for engagement by a driving mechanism such as the clutch member 32 that is engageable by a movable clutch member 34 connected to the shaft of a motor 35 in a manner that will be readily apparent. As such motor and other driving mechanism is not deemed to constitute any part of the present invention, it is not thought necessary to illustrate the same in detail.

Mounted on the platform 10 below the open end of the tank 14 is a semicircular trough, generally designated as 36, including a semi-circular bottom wall 38, which partly underlies and partly projects past the open end of the tank 14, and inner and outer side walls 40 and 42; the former being of lesser height and underlying the tank 14 and the latter being of greater height and extending past the tank 14 and overlapping the flange 18.

The opening 20 in tank 14 serves both for admission of snow into the tank as well as the heating means for melting the same. The snow may be admitted through the upper side of the opening 20 as by means of the slanting chute 44, whose wider upper end 46 is disposed on the exterior of the tank 14 and whose lower end extends part way into the interior of the tank 14. The chute 44 may be supported in fixed position in any suitable, desired manner, as by means of the upright posts or brackets 48 mounted on platform 10.

The heat for melting the snow is introduced into the interior of the tank 14 through the lower part of the opening 20, below the chute 44. Such heating means may comprise a fuel nozzle 50, for the burning of oil or gas, which may be connected to a source of fuel, as the tank 52, which may contain fuel gas or oil under pressure, which may be mounted on the platform 10, as illustrated, or off the platform and connected to the nozzle 50 in a manner that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and not thought necessary to be shown in detail The nozzle 50 may be surrounded by a sleeve or jacket 54 that projects into the tank 14 forwardly of the nozzle and is connected to an air pump 56 mounted on the platform 10 that will blow the heat by burning of the fuel from the nozzle 50 through the sleeve 54 into the interior of the tank 14.

A damper 58 may be provided in the sleeve 54 for regulating the flow of air blown therethrough and an opening may be provided at the top of the sleeve 54 exteriorly of the tank 14, provided with a cover 60, which may be raised to permit access to the nozzle 50 for whatever attention may be required. The sleeve 54 may also be provided with an outer protective sleeve 62, which is spaced therefrom by spacing ring 64, at their inner ends and by spacing lugs or studs 66 along the remainder of their length. Rods may connect the outer sleeve 62 and posts 48 for support.

The operation of the apparatus of the invention will be obvious from the foregoing description. Snow initially introduced into tank 14 through the chute 44 will encounter the hot air or gasses generated by the burning of fuel at the nozzle 50 and blown into the tank by the blower of air pump 56, to be melted thereby. The rotation of tank 14 will continuously mix freshly-admitted snow with the already melted snow and bring it into continuous intimate contact with the water from previously melted snow that has been warmed by the hot air or gasses, to be continuously melted by such intimate contact and to be warmed, in turn. This intimate mixture of the freshly supplied snow and the molten snow with the hot air and gasses may be facilitated by baflles of various types mounted in the inner surface of the tank wall, such as the baffles 70, at the ends of the tank that will tend to direct the mixture of snow and water toward the center of the tank as the tank rotates, and the baffles 72, at the center of the tank, that will churn the mixture at the center.

As Water from the melting snow accumulates at the bottom of the rotating tank 14, it will rise above the level of the flange 18 and will overflow into the trough 36, from which it will drain out through the drain pipe 74 at its bottom. From the drainpipe 74 the water may flow directly to the ground or into a sewer, or through a hose connected to the drainpipe into an adjacent sewer, in a manner that will be readily understood.

It will be understood that the spent hot air and gasses will escape through the opening 20. However, in order to inhibit the too ready escape of such air, before its heat has been spent and utilized as fully as possible, a shield 76 may be supported in front of the opening 20, within the tank 14, as on the end of the chute 44. Such shield 76 may be utilized to give additional support to the sleeves 54 and 62, which may be held with an opening in the shield 76, defined by flange 78.

This completes the description of the snow-disposal apparatus of the present invention and the manner of its operation. It will be readily apparent that such apparatus is of highly simplified construction; is of relatively light weight and compact and may be economically produced; and that it may be readily adapted for mobility.

It will also be apparent that the apparatus of the invention, by churning freshly admitted snow into quick, direct and intimate contact with snow previously admitted and melted and warmed snow that is continuously heated by hot air and gasses blown into the tank, under pressure, attains a rapid and highly eflicient rate of operation, at a high rate of efliciency in the consumption of fuel, to thereby make use of the apparatus economical as well as convenient.

It will be further apparent that numerous modifications and variations may be made in the snow-disposal apparatus of the present invention, by any one skilled in the art, in accordance with the principles of the invention hereinabove set forth and without the exercises of any inventive ingenuity. I desire, therefore, the protection of the patent laws for any and all such modifications and variations that may be made within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims hereto appended.

What I claim is:

1. The snow disposal apparatus comprising, a tank closed at one end and having a centrally disposed opening at its other end of an area less than the cross section of the central portion of the tank, means supporting said tank over a surface for rotation on a horizontally disposed axis extending between said ends, with said other end of said tank in elevated relation relative to said supporting surface; a trough at the other end of said tank partly underlying the same, in position to receive overflow water therefrom through said opening, said trough having a Water outlet provided therein, a snow conveying chute, means supporting said chute in slanting position with the lower end thereof extending into said tank through said opening, a tube connectable to a source of fuel under pressure extending toward said opening into said tank, said tube having a fuel burning jet at its inner end, a sleeve about said tube and said jet, and means on said tank engageable for rotation by a driving means.

2. The snow disposal apparatus of claim 1, wherein said tank is of a circular cross section.

3. The snow disposal apparatus of claim 2, wherein said tank is cylindrical and said opening is defined by an inwardly extending flange at said other end thereof.

4. The snow disposal apparatus of claim 2, wherein said means for mounting said tank for rotation includes an outwardly projecting, axially disclosed shaft at said one end of said tank and means supporting and journaling said shaft for rotation, and rollers engaging and supporting the wall of said tank, at least one to each side thereof, each said roller supported on said surface in elevated relation thereto.

5. The snow disposal apparatus of claim 2, wherein said trough is of arcuate shape.

6. The snow disposal apparatus of claim 5, wherein said trough is of channel shape with one side wall overlapping said other end of said tank to substantially the edge of said opening.

7. The snow disposal apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sleeve is connected to a source of air under pressure and extends into said tank inwardly of said jet.

8. The snow disposal apparatus of claim 7, wherein a protective jacket is mounted around said sleeve within said tank, in spaced relation to said sleeve.

9. The snow disposal apparatus of claim 1, wherein said supporting surface comprises a platform and said source of fuel under pressure is mounted on said platform.

10. The snow disposal apparatus of claim 9, wherein said platform is mobile.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 734,195 7/1903 Riedel 126--343.5 933,837 9/1909 DHomergue 126343.5 X 3,011,493 12/1961 Zieba 126-3435 3,036,391 5/1962 Kemp 126343.5 X

CHARLES J. MYHRE, Primary Examiner. 

1. THE SNOW DISPOSAL APPARATUS COMPRISING, A TANK CLOSED AT ONE END AND HAVING A CENTRALLY DISPOSED OPENING AT ITS OTHER END OF AN AREA LESS THAN THE CROSS SECTION OF THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE TANK, MEANS SUPPORTING SAID TANK OVER A SURFACE FOR ROTATION ON A HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED AXIS EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID ENDS, WITH SAID OTHER END OF SAID TANK IN ELEVATED RELATION RELATIVE TO SAID SUPPORTING SURFACE; A TROUGH AT THE OTHER END OF SAID TANK PARTLY UNDERLYING THE SAME, IN POSITION TO RECEIVE OVERFLOW WATER THEREFROM THROUGH SAID OPENING, SAID TROUGH HAVING A WATER OUTLET PROVIDED THEREIN, A SNOW CONVEYING CHUTE, MEANS SUPPORTING SAID CHUTE IN SLANTING POSITION WITH THE LOWER END THEREOF EXTENDING INTO SAID TANK THROUGH SAID OPENING, A TUBE CONNECTABLE TO A SOURCE OF FUEL UNDER PRESSURE EXTENDING TOWARD SAID OPENING INTO SAID TANK, SAID TUBE HAVING A FUEL BURNING JET AT ITS INNER END, A SLEEVE ABOUT SAID TUBE AND SAID JET, AND MEANS ON SAID TANK ENGAGEABLE FOR ROTATION BY A DRIVING MEANS. 